Improvement in book-cases



O. F. HILL. Bpok-Case.

N0. 197,132. Patented Nov. I3, 1877.

N FETERS PHOTOLITHOGRAPHER. WASNING'IDN. D C.

UNI'IED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. HILL, on HAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA.

l-M P"R'OVEMENT IN B00 K-CAS ES.

Specification frming part; of- Letters Patgsnt N0. 197,132, datedNoveinloer 13, 1877; applicatibn filed .Iune 25 1'877.

Hazleton, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement inBook-Cases, of whioh the follow1'ng is a speoifioa'onr My inventionrelates so an improvement in book-cases intended especially for the useof oirculating or Sunday-sohool libraries ehe objeet of the inventionbeing to so oonstruct the case that it can, when not in use, be sofolded together as to protect the l3ooks and ocoupy but little room,and, when in use, be ananged. so as to se'lude the librarian and. bringthe books under bis convenient control.

'Ihis ob j eet I attain in the manner which I will now prooeed t0describe, referenoe being had to the acoompany1'ng drawings, in whichFigures 1 and 2 are perspeotive views of my improved book-case indifferent positions Fig. 3, a seotional plan of Fig. 2; and Figs. 4, 5,and. 6, diagrams illustrating another form of my improved book-ease,Fig'. 7 being a perspecoive view showing the loose holt-kluges andbrace.

The book-oase shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3 consists of a central seotion,A, and end secoions B and. B, the latter being hinged to the former a1;the rear edge of the same, and eaoh being of a length equal to half thelength of the oentral seotion.

The upper portion of eaoh seotion of the case is dividedby a series ofhorizontal and. vertical partitions into a number of s1nallcompartments, a, eaoh intended to reoeive a book, and eaoh nu1nbered tocorresponcl With the number of the book fo r whioh it is fl1ereceptacle. In front of these compartments each seotion is glazed, as abb, so that, as the books are arranged W1thin the compartments with tl1irbaoks to the front, the. numbers a11d tifles of the b'ooks ean bereadily diseerned. About the oenter of tl1e seotion A an opening, d,extending oompletely through the seetion, is formed, for a purposedesoribed hereinafter. In the lower portion of each seoion am for1ned,in the prese'nt instanoe, oompartments e e, of a larger size than thoseabove, for the reoeption of books, papers, &c.

I prefer to make the oompartment ein the seotions B B acoessible fromtl1e inside and those in the seotio'n A. from the outside of the oase;laut this arrzmgemen-t may be varied as eirou-mstanees maysuggestand, insome eases, the entire area of eaeh seotion may be divid'ed intoeompartmenos a of the eharadtor desoribed. In using the above-desoribebook-oa-se, the seovion A is arranged some distanoe from the Wall X,ancl parallel With the same, and the end seotions are tl1en turned so asto assume a position at right angles to tl1e section A, as shown in Fig.3, the three sootions thus serving, With the Wall, to inolose a spaoefor occupanoy by the librarian, who, When seated. upon t-ho ohair orstool f, has all of tho volumes in the ease within easy oontrol, andwhose duties eure not interfered with by those desiring to obtain thebooks, oommunioafuion between whom .and tl1e librarian oan only be had.through tl1e opening d, through whioh books are reoeived or returned.When the book-oase is 1101: in use the sections B B may be folded inupon the seotion A in the direetion of ehe arrow, Fig. 3,1;11e booksbeing then entirely inclosed within the case, and thereby proteoted frominjury by dust, &c., while the oase itself is compaet, and

' may be stored away until again required, W1'thout oooupyingunnecessary room.

It is 11013 absolutely essential that the case should eonsist of threosections only. Thus, in Fig. 4 I have divid ed the central seotion Ainto two seotions, A and A In this oase I couneco the seotions A and Atogether by 1neans 0f two sets 0f loose bolt-hinges, w and x, one sei;ab the front edge and the other sei: als the rear edges of the seotions.Thus, when the seotions aro in line, as in Fig. 4, the bolts of botl1sets of hinges may loe inserted, and the two seotions thereby firmlyhold in position in a straight line, but by withdrawing the bolts ofeither sei: of hinges w x the oases may be folded in either direotion.

In some eases I provide the seotions B and B and oentral seetion withtwo sets of s'1milar loose bolt-h'mges, y y, with the view 11011 only ofholcling the sections in ]ine, aus in Fig. 4, but of permitting the useof a rod, w, so as to braoe the sections when they am in the positionshown in Figs. 5 and 7 When the oase is made in four sections theopposite halves of a 1oose holt-hinge, Y, may be secured. to the rear ofthe outer edges of the sections B B, so that when the case is foldedinto the condition shown in Fig. 6 these halves z may be combined withthe halves 0f the hinge x of the central section, and thus permit thelocking 0f the sections i1 1 position by the insertion of ehehinge-bolts.

I prefer 130 mount the difierent sections of the case upon casters, inorder to facilitate the movements of the sections independent of eachother, 01 the movement of the complete case when folded.

The central section A of ehe case may be provided with more than oneopening, d, if desired; but one Will be found to be sufficient in mosteases.

I claim as my invention- 1. A book-case composed of a number ofsections, each section having a glazed front, through which the titlesof the books can be observed, and open at the back, and.one sectionhaving an opening, d, the said. sections being hinged together andcombined, as set forth, so that they can form an inclosure or part of aninclosure, from which books can be handed through the opening, all asset forth.

2. The combination of the end sections B B with a central seetion, A,made in two parts, A and A connected together by two sets of loosebolt-hinges, x x, as specified.

3. The combination of the eentral section A and end section B or B withthe two sets 0f loose bolt-hinges y y, and brace w, aus described.

In testimonywhereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence 0f two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES F. HILL. Witnesses:

JOHN A. BARTON, O. BACHMAN.

